Outcry as ‘Dr. Death’ used hospital rooms
STILL WORKING: Dr. Wouter Basson. Picture: Oupa Mokoena
Mediclinic South Africa was at pains on Wednesday to explain why Dr. Wouter Basson, aka Dr. Death, was working at two of their facilities in Cape Town following a backlash on Twitter.
There was a public outcry after it emerged that Basson had practices at Mediclinic facilities in Panorama and Durbanville.
The information was found on Mediclinic’s website and, according to reports, Basson had been working there for the past 15 years.
But according to the private hospital company, Basson did not work for them and instead was an independent specialist cardiologist with admission rights to treat his patients at the two Mediclinic facilities and other hospitals outside their stable.
“By law, practising doctors are independent practitioners and are not employed by any hospital group. Dr. Basson is not employed by Mediclinic Southern Africa and does not have his consulting rooms at a Mediclinic facility,” said Tertia Kruger, Mediclinic’s corporate communication manager in a statement.
“He consults from his own rooms, where patients choose to consult him.”
Good day, by law doctors are independent practitioners & cannot be employed by Mediclinic Southern Africa. We cannot prohibit HPCSA registered doctors, including Dr Basson, from practising unless they are prevented by law from doing so. Kind regards, the Mediclinic SA team.
— Mediclinic SA (@Mediclinic) January 18, 2021
Basson was the mastermind behind a chemical weapons project between 1980 and 1990 that manufactured suicide pills and poisonous gases for the apartheid government.
His research included anti-fertility drugs for ethnic cleansing.
In 2013, the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) found Basson guilty of unprofessional conduct on four charges.
But in March 2019, the Gauteng High Court ruled that there was bias on the part of the committee members who presided over the disciplinary hearing so the hearing was set aside. Since then, Basson has been practicing as a cardiologist in Cape Town.